December 1, 2004
NCAA game at Rowan features ex-CAL players
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
A quarterfinal game of the NCAA Division III football playoffs will be held Saturday in Glassboro. And no
fewer than 15 players who used to play in the Cape-Atlantic League could see action.
It will be undefeated Delaware Valley against Rowan in this quarterfinal game. The winner will need just
one more win to reach Stagg Bowl XXXII in Salem, VA on Dec. 18, the championship game of Division III.
The biggest name among the former CAL players is Delaware Valley running back Steve Cook from Ocean
City. Cook ran for 111 yards in DelVal’s 26-20 win over St. John Fisher last weekend, his ninth 100-yard
game of the season. The 5-9, 200-pound junior ran for 102 yards and scored the game-winner two weeks
ago in a 21-17 win over Shenandoah. For the year, Cook, one of only four running backs to gain 2,000
yards at Ocean City, has 1,382 yards and 13 touchdowns.
John Kiphorn, a sophomore wide receiver-kick returner from Mainland, has 32 catches for 372 yards and
two touchdowns for DelVal. Dawaine Whetsone, sophomore defensive back from Pleasantville, leads
DelVal with six interceptions. And Brandon Tolbert, another sophomore defensive back who played for the
Greyhounds, has 57 tackles and has defensed seven passes.
Two of Cook’s teammates at OCHS play big roles on defense for Delaware Valley. Sophomore linebacker
Sean Raftery (6-3, 245) has a pair of interceptions. He and sophomore defensive lineman Brian Mulford
(6-0, 250) have combined for more than 55 tackles and three sacks.
Rowan, as you would expect, has its share of former CAL players. Junior wide receiver Phil Silva from
Vineland is a big part of their passing attack. Junior defensive lineman Nick Tarasevich from Millville and
freshman defensive back Anthony Witter from Bridgeton are part of the Profs’ defense.
Others from the CAL on the Rowan roster include freshman slot back Justin Melo of Lower Cape May,
junior defensive lineman Robert Godfrey from Millville, senior defensive lineman Jim Battaglia from Atlantic
City and a trio from Hammonton – sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Capella, freshman tight end Larry
Henshaw and freshman linebacker Matias Spahn.
It should be quite a day for CAL football fans, with as many as 15 players they saw play in high school all
playing in the same NCAA game.
There was at least one other former CAL player who saw action in an earlier NCAA playoff game this year.
Antwaine Campo, freshman linebacker from Ocean City, played for Bridgewater College in its first round
loss to Washington & Jefferson, 55-48, in double overtime. There were 1,016 total yards in the game and
52 combined first downs. Campo made 23 tackles, including 3.5 for losses, in his first year at Bridgewater.
The kickoff at Rowan Saturday is scheduled for noon.
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